I had written a long time ago about the Sanchar Saathi website (https://www.sancharsaathi.gov.in/) launched by the Department of Telecommunications in May 2023. Its a mobile app was launched on January 17 last month with many new features. Sanchar Saathi is one of the most successful initiatives taken by the Government of India to prevent cyber crimes. This Sanchar Saathi mobile app allows mobile users to effectively manage and monitor the mobile connections registered in their name, as well as disconnect unwanted connections, track lost/stolen phones and provide tools to verify whether it is a stolen or counterfeit device at the time of new or used mobile purchases. In this, you can also report the number of fraudulent calls coming to you from international numbers and help block it. The Sanchar Saathi app is a major step taken by the Indian government to ensure the safety, security and reliability of telecom networks for everyone. You can download it on Android and Apple stores. With over 90 crore smartphone users in the country, the Sanchar Saathi app is committed to maintaining the security, safety, and trustworthiness of telecom networks for everyone.
According to latest government data, in the last one and a half years, nine crore people have visited the Sanchar Saathi website, with the help of information given by them and information from other sources, 27.5 lakh fraudulent mobile connections have been disconnected and over 25 lakh lost or stolen mobile devices have been recovered. Additionally, 12.38 lakh WhatsApp accounts related to cybercrimes have been deactivated and 11.6 lakh mule (fake KYC) bank accounts have been frozen to prevent financial fraud. It has also blocked 90% of international incoming fraud calls, reducing their number from 13.5 crore to just 6 lakh. These proactive measures have gone a long way in preventing frauds like fake digital arrests, tax evasion and impersonation of law enforcement, thereby protecting citizens from cyber threats. Below I am going to tell you about the various key services offered by this mobile app.
Sanchar Saathi Mobile App Salient Features :-
- Chakshu – Report Suspected Fraudulent Communication :- It facilitates citizens to report suspected fraudulent communications with the intention of defrauding telecom service users for cyber-crime, financial frauds, impersonation or any other misuse through call, SMS or WhatsApp. Department of Telecommunications, after verification of the reported event, acts against the sender of suspected fraud communication as per departmental procedures which may include reverification of the subscriber, disconnection and filing of police complaints/FIRs, as deemed fit.
- Block your lost/stolen mobile handset :- It facilitates locating/blocking lost/stolen mobile devices. It also facilitates blocking lost/stolen mobile devices across all telecom operators’ networks, so that the lost/stolen devices cannot be used in India. If someone tries to use the blocked mobile phone, its tracing will help in finding back the lost/stolen mobile phone. Mobile handset which is reported will be blocked for usage in Indian telecom network within 24 hours. Once any traceability report is generated then citizen will be informed through the SMS. Citizen can also check the status of their request through the Mobile App or the portal. This traceability report will also be provided to the police station concerned where the report of lost/ stolen filed. Citizen can contact the police station for recovery of their mobile handset.
- Know Mobile Connections in Your Name :- This will enable the mobile subscriber to check the number of mobile connections taken in his/her name. This will enable the subscriber to report and block the mobile connection(s) which are not required or taken by them.
- Know the genuineness of your mobile handset :- This will enable the mobile subscriber to check the genuineness of the mobile handset with the help of International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number. User can dial *#06# in their device to check the IMEI number allotted to the mobile devices.
- Report an incoming international call with an Indian number :- This will enable the citizen to report about the international calls received with a local Indian number (+91-xxxxxxxxx). Reporting such calls will help the government to take action against illegal telecom setup.